The rediscovery of the dialogue version of Gounod's "Faust"
The first concert performance of Charles Gounod’s “Faust” in its first version, composed in 1859 for the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris, with dialogues and previously-unknown vocal numbers and mélodramas, was one of the presents for Gounod’s 200th birthday. Since then the recording of the first performance given on 14 June 2018 in the Théatre des Champs-Elysées Paris with Véronique Gens (Marguerite), Benjamin Bernheim (Faust), Andrew Foster-Williams (Méphistophélès), the Vlaams Radiokoor and Les Talens Lyriques, conducted by Christophe Rousset has been released on CD in the Opéra français series from Palazzetto Bru Zane. A staged first performance of the new edition by Paul Prévost has also been given at the Opera Omaha in April 2019 (Nebraska, photo).